Four Loko Company Defends Drinks After Students Sickened At Party

The company behind a controversial caffeinated alcoholic beverage that’s believed to have caused the sickening of dozens of Central Washington University students said it was the mixing of alcohol and possibly drugs that made the students seriously ill.

The aftermath of the party, at which police found students passed out all over the house and rushed nine to the hospital, has renewed calls for bans on the drink Four Loko, which combines as much alcohol as a six-pack of beer and the equivalent of several cups of coffee.